Authorities in southern India’s Kerala state are on high alert following the tragic death of a 14-year-old boy from the Nipah virus. The state's health minister has reported that 60 individuals are in the high-risk category for potential exposure to the virus.
Kerala has been identified as one of the regions most susceptible to Nipah virus outbreaks globally. The virus, originating from fruit bats and animals like pigs, can lead to a fatal brain-swelling fever in humans. Classified as a priority pathogen by the World Health Organization (WHO), Nipah has the potential to cause epidemics due to the lack of a vaccine or specific treatment.
The recent fatality occurred when the infected boy suffered a cardiac arrest. In response, the government has established 25 committees to identify and isolate potentially affected individuals as part of their Nipah control measures.
Health officials have confirmed a positive Nipah case in a schoolboy, with close contacts under observation. While the risk of an outbreak is deemed minimal at present, monitoring will continue for the next seven to 10 days.
With 214 people listed as primary contacts of the infected boy, 60 are considered high-risk and are being treated in isolation wards at healthcare facilities. Family members of the patient are under observation at a local hospital, while others at risk have been advised to self-isolate at home.
The state government is actively tracing potentially affected individuals to contain the virus's spread. Nipah has been linked to multiple fatalities in Kerala since its emergence in 2018, with previous outbreaks reported in Malaysia, Bangladesh, India, and Singapore over the past 25 years.
